Juglans cinerea seed

LATIN NAME: JUGLANS CINEREA

COMMON NAME: Butternut

The butternut sways the broad, pinnate leaves in the open, spreading crown, the long, sticky catkins in the early spring, and the oblong, pointed nuts that ripen in the rough, sticky husks through the autumn. The tree grows into the round-headed, handsome tree of the river valleys, the bark stays grey and ridged, and the whole plant carries the generous, old-woodland look of the walnuts. The nuts are sweet and oily, and they have been gathered for the table for the ages. It likes the sun, the shelter, and the deep, rich, well-drained soil.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

In the walnut family, the butternut holds its own chapter in the studies of the eastern woodlands and the nut crops. The research covers the nut chemistry and the seed biology, along with the ongoing work on the canker diseases that press the wild trees. The horticulturists value the sweet, oily kernels, the ecologists track the trees for the wildlife, and the growers of the hardy, useful nut trees keep the species in their catalogues.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the cool woodland, the butternut feeds the forest and the family both. The sweet, oily kernels have been prized for the table, the baking and the syrup for the ages, the nuts feed the squirrels and the birds, and the broad crown gives the generous shade. The wood serves the furniture and the joinery, and the tree does best in the deep, rich, moist soil. Sweet, generous and old-woodland in character.

The butternut seeds need the cold treatment before the sowing, a few months in the damp, cool place which wakes the hard nuts. Sow them into the deep pot of coarse, gritty loam, cover them well, and keep the pot in the bright, cool spot. The seedlings rise with the broad, pinnate leaves, and they grow on steadily. Stand the young trees in the deep, rich, well-drained ground, and the first nuts come within the few years.

To grow the butternut from seed, sow the large, hard seeds singly into the deep pot of coarse, gritty loam, then cover them well, keep the pot in the bright, cool spot and water gently. The seedlings emerge within a few weeks, and they grow on steadily. Stand the young trees in the deep, rich, well-drained ground, and the sweet nuts will sway the branches over the years.

Scientific Name: Juglans cinerea
Other common names: White walnut